


Sunset of Joy

by karovie



Series: His Royal Manservant [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt Merlin, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Merthur - Freeform, Protective Gwaine, Protective Merlin, Worried Arthur, merman merlin, merthur adopts a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 12:01:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15072731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karovie/pseuds/karovie
Summary: ~A sudden addition to "His Royal Manservant" series a year after it was completed.~  (The other parts of this story is advised to be read before this)Merlin and Arthur takes a child of the streets in as their own, swearing to give her a happy life. That promise is challeneged when her biological father shows up out of nowhere claiming her as his own. Merlin however, is suspicious of the man and finds himself and his adoptive daughter in great trouble.





	Sunset of Joy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [knifeboye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knifeboye/gifts).



> SURPRISE!  
> I wanted to give a gift to my dearest friend Spacegaykogane and struggled to find a fitting gift to celebrate our friendship. But then I remembered how we became friends. This fic series. I really missed writing for it, so I decided to throw in a little something extra despite the series originally being completed. thank you to my two friends who stepped in and helped me edit <3 Now, I hope it's not too out of character, and I really hope you all enjoy this little extra story!

“Cyra…”

 

…

 

“Cyra… Come on sweetheart, time to get up,” Merlin’s voice came gently from above her. A hand brushed the hair from her forehead, before moving down to stroke her cheek.

 

Then, that hand moved down to tickle her neck.

 

“DADDY!” she squealed and burst out laughing, pushing at his hand and rolling away from him as she giggled.

 

A soft gasp came from Merlin. “You called me daddy!” he laughed and reached out after her.

 

“No!” She called out as he caught her, continuing the tickles. She laughed loud until she had enough and yelled for him to stop.

 

He did so immediately and pulled her into a hug. “Ready to tackle the day then?” he asked with a smile. He got out of the bed and walked towards the table which was set with fruits, bread and cold meat. He poured water in a cup and handed it to her once she followed him. She climbed up to sit in her chair, and Merlin picked out her favourite fruits and placed them on the plate before her.

 

“Eat well now, dear.” he smiled and picked up his own plate. Just as he took a bite of an apple, there was a knock on the door. He sent her an exaggerated look of exasperation which made her giggle, before he answered the door.  

 

She didn’t listen to what was being said. Instead she continued nibbling on the fruit from her plate. She always savoured them. She never had fruits like these before she came here. She remembered her first time in Camelot and how scary it was. She had been through plenty of scary things, but the big, unknown city somehow ended up being scarier than the dark dirty alleys of a smaller town.

 

The first time she was offered these fruits, she thought she was being mocked like she had been so many times before. But the smile on Merlin’s face had been different somehow. It had been… kind. So had Arthur’s smile been. And when she had reached out, the fruit had not been removed from her like it had been so many times before. She had picked up a red apple, looking at it intently before biting into it. Tears had welled up in her eyes at the sweet taste of it. She had looked at them them while she cried, thanking them.

 

It was very sad to think about. She looked long at the little berry in her hand. It was the last from her plate, and despite there being more on the table, she still feared it would be the last one she could have.

 

“Aww, sweetheart, what is it?” She jumped at Merlin’s voice, having not realized he had come back to the table.

 

“Is this the last berry I can have?” she held up the berry so he could see.

 

Merlin came closer and knelt beside her chair, looking up into her face.

 

“No Cyra. You can have more berries if you want. We have our own berry bushes we can pick from, remember? And if we run out, we can afford to buy some more. Sometimes, berries will not be in season, but then we just have to wait until they grow back again, okay?”

 

She looked intently at his face. Then, she came to the conclusion that he was telling the truth. A smile came back on her face and she put the berry in her mouth.

 

“There we go, that’s better!” he laughed and stood up. “Now, I have to take care of some work. Do you want to stay here or do you want to come with me?”

 

She thought about it for a moment. She felt sceptical towards the people in the castle… but if she could stay with Merlin, that would be nicer than staying in the room alone. She scrunched up her face as she thought about it, but then decided she wanted to go with him.

  
  


He smiled and reminded her she needed to change out of her nightgown first. She lit up at the thought of the nice dresses she had been gifted from Morgana and Gwen and declared they needed to go out and find gifts for them later. Merlin laughed and ushered her behind the changing screen while he pulled out her favourite dress for her.

 

“Will you be able to put it on yourself or do you need my help?” Merlin gave the dress to her, waiting outside the changing screen.

 

Cyra ran her fingers gently over the soft fabric of the dress, admiring it for a moment before pulling it on. Morgana and Gwen had told her how the color was a combination of land and sea. At first she hadn’t understood what that meant. Not until they had come together to tell her about the merfolk. She had been very confused about that. What did merfolk have anything to do with it? And then, they told her about Merlin. About how he was the prince of the merpeople. How he had escaped great peril and saved Arthur multiple times. How Arthur had done the same for him. Merlin had come forth and gently placed his hands on each side of her face after asking for permission. Images of the sea, the people dwelling there, and finally of Merlin himself with fins and a tail. Once she opened her eyes again, she was met with Merlin’s gentle smile. It had given her a glimmer of hope in the darkness she had lived in.

 

“Cyra?”

 

She jumped at the mention of her name. She hurriedly finished fastening the belt of her dress and went around front.

 

“I’m ready,” she twirled in place and gave Merlin a giant smile. He laughed, telling her how pretty she looked before taking her hand to walk out to the throne room.

 

As they walked down the corridor, Gwaine came strolling towards them. When he caught sight of them, his face lit up with the biggest grin.

 

“Cyra!” he called out. He reminded her of one of the puppies she had seen in the stables a while back. He was always excited to see her, especially after he had managed to gain her trust. He was always up for playing whenever she wanted to. He even skipped out of his knightly duties just to see her.

 

“My lady,” he said with great dramatic flair, knelt before her and reached out to take her hand. He kissed it and winked at her as she giggled before he stood back up.

 

“Skipping out of your duties again?” Merlin teased.

 

“Actually, I’m here to take this little darling off your hands a bit so you can work,” he had not yet let go of her hand and suddenly he pulled her closer and bent down to pick her up. She squealed and giggled again as she threw her hands around his neck to keep her balance. “Besides, there’s a certain horse ready to eat me alive if she doesn’t visit again soon,” he added with a laugh.

 

“Alright. Just don’t let Arabus kidnap her. He would do so immediately given the chance. He likes her far more than he likes me at this point,” he said with a good natured laugh. “Now, keep an eye on Gwaine, alright dear? Make sure he behaves,” he added and kissed Cyra on the cheek before heading off to the throne room.

 

“Let’s go for a ride, shall we?” Gwaine suggested merrily and pranced down the hallway with a giggling child in his arms.

  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  


Arabus wasn’t often willing to have anyone other than Merlin, Arthur or Cyra on his back, but was nicer about it once Cyra had to go with someone other than the Kings. Gwaine was full of glee now that he was allowed to sit on the back of the powerful horse with Cyra. He almost seemed to enjoy it more than the little girl did. They were currently going for a slow ride through the woods and down into slow flowing rivers. It was a beautiful warm day. The sun was high in the sky, the birds chirping and bugs buzzing around.

 

They took a break under a tree, sitting in the grass enjoying the shade. Arabus was prancing around in the river, entertaining Cyra who was watching all of his movements. She laughed loud when Arabus attempted to catch a fish as if he was a mix of a dog and a cat. He missed it and looked properly bummed out afterwards.

 

On the other side of the river was a popular path for travelers. A few people walked past now and then. One rider had suddenly struggled with his horse once they came close to where Arabus was playing in the river. It had stopped in its tracks and had walked closer to Arabus before the white horse shot it a look and stomped his front leg.

 

The other horse had immediately listened to his rider again and had kept going down the path.

 

When Gwaine decided they needed to get back to Camelot again, Cyra froze in her tracks and stared at a man walking down the traveller’s path. Her eyes were wide, and her body shook in fear at the sight of the him. Gwaine hadn’t realized at first, but when she didn’t come up to him for help to get on the big horse, he turned to look at her in query.

 

His blood ran cold at the outright terror emitting from her. He followed her gaze to see a man standing at the road, looking at them. Before he could call out, the man left.

 

Gwaine’s suspicion rose through the roof. He’d have to warn the Kings about this. There was something about that man that scared Cyra. They needed to make sure she was safe.

 

He knelt by her side, gently catching her attention.

 

“It’s going to be alright, Cyra. That man will not hurt you. We’ll make sure of that,” he smiled reassuringly and offered her a hug. She took it gratefully and clutched onto the worried knight. He looked in the direction the man had walked in. It was towards Camelot. That was certainly not a good sign. Not at all.

 

He would not be sleeping that night.

  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  


Merlin was pulled aside by Arthur once he got back to their chambers. He was surprised to find his husband back in the castle already, but didn’t protest when the other’s lips pressed against his. He relaxed in Arthur’s hold and put his hands on his husband’s hips.

 

Arthur panted when they parted, a huge smile spreading over his face at the hooded look Merlin sported.

 

“I’ve been wanting to do that the entire day,” he said and gave Merlin another peck.

 

“Weren’t you supposed to be gone until evening?” Merlin asked suspiciously.

 

“We finished early,” Arthur said with an innocent look.

 

“Sure…” Merlin shook his head but couldn’t keep the smile away.

 

“Where’s my sweet girl? Wasn’t she supposed to be with you?” Arthur questioned as he looked around.

 

“Gwaine came to take her out for a ride. I had some matters to take care of, so it was good he could save her from the boredom,” he laughed and stepped closer to Arthur again. “You know… this is a golden opportunity,” he said with a devilish grin as his hands rested on Arthur’s chest.

 

Arthur loved Merlin’s suggestion and held him close to kiss him deeply.

 

The door smashed open, startling the both of them in the process. They turned bewildered eyes on the intruder who turned out to be Gwaine with Cyra hiding in his neck. He didn't look to be in a particularly good mood and sat the girl down gently on a chair while he gestured for the royals to join him to the hallway.

 

“Whats wrong?” Merlin asked worriedly as they closed the door behind them with a last look at the quiet girl inside the chambers.

 

“There was a man on the road to Camelot who stopped to stare at her and it scared the crap outta her. I have no idea who it was, but that was not merely distrust in her. It was outright fear,” Gwaine was clearly angry as he relayed the message.

 

Merlin and Arthur shared a worried look.

 

“Are you able to describe him?” Arthur asked.

 

“He was a redhead. Had a beard. Some 40 years or so… Wore clothing that looked to have once been expensive but was pretty worn.” Gwaine immediately replied.

 

“Bring the word out to the guards. Have them keep an extra close eye on anyone of that description.” Arthur ordered.

 

Gwaine nodded and left them to care for their daughter.

 

“Who do you think it may be?” Merlin asked his husband, fear clear in his eyes.

 

Arthur wrapped him up in his arms. “I don’t know, love. She obviously knows of him though, and considering her reaction, it cannot be good,” Arthur sighed, his mind running on full speed trying to figure out what to do. “First off, we need to make sure she’s alright,” he added after a moment and looked Merlin in the eye.

 

“Time for distractions then?” Merlin suggested and let his eyes glow gold as an example, producing sparkles around them.

 

“Definitely,” Arthur grinned, his eyes shining in the light of Merlin’s magic sparkles.

 

Pushing the door open, they both went up to Cyra, offering her a hug. She looked at them with great sadness in her eyes. A sadness that did not fit a child at all. She reached out for them, clutching to both of them as she was wrapped up in a hug between them.

 

Merlin poked her cheek gently to have her look up at him. As her warm dark eyes looked up at him, he waved his hand in a very fluid motion, and as his eyes glowed golden, a flowy thread of light came to life in his hand. It moved with his flowing hand, creating a beautiful pattern of light around them.

 

She stared in awe up into the light around them.

 

Then, her eyes filled with tears, her face scrunched up and a sob escaped her throat as she clutched hard to Merlin’s clothes.

 

“I don’t wanna leave!” she choked out, shocking both Arthur and Merlin. They stared at each other in confusion trying to figure out why she believed she needed to leave.

 

“You're not going anywhere sweetheart, we will make sure of that,” Arthur said and stroked her back gently.

  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  


Days passed without any mention of the man on the road. Eventually, Cyra calmed down and they all almost forgot about the man. Arthur was pulled away on kingly duties again, while Merlin brought Cyra to the gardens for some berry picking. Gwaine had been on the lookout nonstop since the day he had taken her for a ride, but had to give in after he had all but fainted during his morning rounds that day. Percival had dragged him back to their room and merlin hadn't seen the two since. He figured the big knight was watching Gwaine like a hawk, making sure he slept.

 

Merlin had made sure to put up a spell around them which would alert him of someone coming close just in case.

 

Once they had finished filling Cyra’s basket with the delicious berries, Merlin heard a man call out her name in the distance in the same moment someone came within the area of the spell.

 

“Cyra! Oh, Cyra, my dearest, I never thought I'd see you again!” the voice called out and Merlin froze in his tracks as he looked for the source. The man coming towards them looked to be somewhere in his 40s and he had similarities to Cyra that could not be denied. His skin was golden, just like hers, his eyes dark brown, his hair curly, except his was brown rather than red.

 

She had frozen in her tracks as well, staring at the man coming towards them. There was something strange about him. As if he had a veil of some sort over him. Merlin couldn’t quite place it.

 

“Excuse me, who are you?” Merlin asked, pulling Cyra behind him to make it clear the man would have to go through him first.

 

The man slowed to a stop, looking at him in confusion before moving his gaze to the girl again.

 

“Her name _is_ Cyra, is it not?” he asked. “She doesn't just look like my daughter, does she?” he mumbled to himself just loud enough for Merlin to hear it. His heart sunk in his chest. He knew it would have been a risk taking in a street child like they had done. There was the potential of someone claiming her as their own, which they could do nothing against. It was pretty clear the man didn't lie. He was after all very similar to her.

 

“I believe I am her father. I have been looking everywhere for her. She was taken from me and ever since I've heard rumors she wandered the streets of another town. But when I finally found the town, she was nowhere to be seen… I never thought I'd see her again!” he looked so heartbroken Merlin was almost pulled in. Almost. There was something very off about him. The Merman King didn't know what to believe.

 

“She has been living with us for a year, here in Camelot,” Merlin found himself saying.

 

“OH, you must have found her just before I arrived in the town,” the man said. “Oh, Cyra your mother will be delighted to see you again! She hasn't been herself since you disappeared!” the man continued.

 

Merlin looked down to see Cyra looking very confused but intrigued. He couldn't help but feel that she didn't quite know what the man was talking about.

 

“Come my child, mum is waiting at the inn. Oh how surprised she shall be at your return!” the man smiled brightly reaching for her.

 

Merlin took a step back, pulling her with him. He didn't trust this man. The man looked at him as his face fell.

 

“Are you denying me, her rightful father, to be reunited with her?” the man asked. He didn't look pleased at all. “I'm sure the King would not look kindly upon such a refusal,” he added after a moment.

 

“I am fairly certain the Kings would not look kindly upon their beloved ward being taken from them without a proper goodbye,” Merlin rebutted. It was clear this man didn't know of him.

 

“Kings? Ward?” the man muttered and was properly confused by that. Louder, he said, “At least let me bring her to her mother. We will not be leaving the inn. The Kings may organize a farewell after,” the man tried.

 

“I will bring her myself after everything is sorted,” Merlin insisted. He really didn't trust this man. But he was correct about his rights as the father of the child.

 

The man looked angry at Merlin’s refusal but quickly neutralized it.

 

Making sure she wouldn't trail behind, Merlin picked Cyra up and carried her in his arms toward the castle, leaving the man behind. He pulled his magic protection up around them.

 

He immediately sent a messenger to Arthur calling him back from his duties. Once he arrived, Merlin couldn't hold the tears any longer. They had finally made a safe place for their child. And now she was being taken from them.

 

Arthur’s face went completely blank after Merlin told him what happened. He looked to Cyra who mostly just looked confused at the whole thing.

 

They had promised her she wouldn't have to leave. And now that promise was broken.

 

Merlin told him of how the man and his wife were waiting for Cyra at the inn.

 

Arthur left Merlin staring after him as he walked over to hug the girl. He kissed her forehead and whispered a goodbye before he left their chambers. Cyra looked upset and reached out after Arthur, but soon looked down in her lap again. Her hand lowered as well and it looked as though she pulled into herself.

 

Arthur had never been good with feelings. Merlin knew that, but it still hurt to see him walk away like that.

 

Merlin knelt before Cyra, kissing her cheek before he pulled her into a tight hug. He really did not want to let her go. But if the man was telling the truth, then he was her father. And he had been looking for her.

 

“Come on, let’s go visit your mother, shall we?” Merlin said through the lump in his throat. Cyra looked at him with wide tearful eyes, but didn’t say anything.

 

Cyra didn't say much as they walked toward the inn. She didn't really know what was happening. She couldn't quite remember her mother. Had she just forgotten about her? Had she been imagining everything from before she escaped to live on the streets? Why did her father look different? Had the other man just been someone similar? Was it true what this version of her father had said?

 

She was afraid to tell Merlin. She had wanted to. But she had never dared to. She was afraid he would send her away again.

 

But then again, that was kind of what was happening now, wasn't it?

 

It was remarkably quiet as they walked down the street. It was as though the whole city knew and was mourning the loss of the child. However Merlin knew that wasn't the case.

 

He didn't want to let her go. He would make sure to assess the situation before even considering letting her go. He still didn't trust the man but couldn't put his finger on what it was that unnerved him.

 

Arriving at the inn, Merlin described the man and was directed upstairs to the room he resided in. The bar downstairs was loud and crowded, and the king was more than happy to get out of their way.

 

He knocked on the door to the room he'd been guided to, waiting for the door to be opened.

 

The moment the door opened, Merlin was on the floor. His vision swam as he tried to make sense of what had happened, but it was no use. The last thing he heard was Cyra crying for him.

  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  


A splitting headache was the first thing he registered as he slowly came back to himself. He heard a quiet whimper and the sound of someone pacing. He tried to move his hand up to his face, but found it was restrained behind his back. Carefully opening his eyes, he found a sack to have been thrown over his head. He should have known really. The strong earthy smell should have alerted him to it.

 

“You useless girl. Everything I've done for you, and you just run off like that,” a voice hissed somewhere above him.

 

“Then you go off and get adopted by the King and don't spare your hardworking father a thought. The least you could have done was sharing some of those goods. But I guess you thought I was dead after that little stunt of yours, eh?” the same voice spat. “Well guess what. I got away. No thanks to your blabbermouth,” the man added.

 

“No matter. Today my problems will be solved. I reckon I could get a hefty sum for you if I ask for a ransom since you've made cozy with the king. Too bad you had to drag this runt along,”

 

A sharp pain suddenly bloomed from Merlin’s abdomen.

 

“You just had to make things more complicated, didn't you? I should have known, taking after your dry fish of a mother. So much more trouble than you're worth.”

 

Merlin jumped at the sharp cry Cyra let out, and he was desperately trying to see what happened. It sounded like she was in pain!

 

“Would you look at that. The runt is awake. See how much trouble you're making?” there was a scuffle, as if someone was being pushed hard, before the man’s steps came closer.

 

“What to do with you then. You're only going to ruin my plans and we cannot have that, can we,” Merlin felt his breath leave him as a pressure was put firmly on his chest. The man was pressing his foot hard against him, making it hard to breathe.

 

“No!” Cyra cried out and suddenly the pressure was gone at the sound of glass breaking. Shards clinkered as they fell to the floor, and the man growled in rage.

 

Merlin used the diversion to get the sack off his head with the help of his magic. He blinked at the light but soon found the man making a grab for Cyra who just slipped out of his grasp.

 

Merlin focused as well as he could with the world spinning around him. He gathered his strength, awkwardly getting to his feet without the man noticing and charged at him. They both crashed to the floor and Merlin shouted for Cyra to run. To find help.

 

She stared at him in shock with tears in her eyes, frozen in place for a moment before she bolted for the door. She struggled with it before she finally got out the door just in time before the man gathered himself.

 

Merlin turned his focus back on the man who was getting up and lunging at him. He was furious as he let his punches fly at the King. Merlin tried kicking at him but it wasn't very effective. He tried to have his magic cut the rope tying his hands together but lost his focus with a hit to the side of his head.

 

The punch completely threw him for a loop, disorienting him enough for the man to get up and head for the door.

 

He was going after Cyra. Merlin wouldn’t let that happen.

 

Merlin struggled to get up, his balance thrown from the disorienting blows. Staggering, he made it to the door where he almost fell down again had it not been for the doorway keeping him up. He gathered himself and made for the stairs.

 

The man was making his way down the stairs at a fast pace. Merlin couldn't think clearly on what to do. His only thought was to stop the man from getting to Cyra.

 

Merlin threw himself at the man from the top of the stairs.

 

The commotion silenced the entire bar. The people turned to see what was going on by the stairs, only to find a man screaming profanities at some fellow on the floor as he pulled a knife from his boot and raised it above the other man.

 

Their Merman King.

 

Someone shouted for the Merman King as the man brought his blade down, piercing Merlin’s skin.

 

Everyone was on their feet instantly, ready to go at the man but jolted at the ear piercing scream coming from the door of the tavern.

 

The girl in the doorway had tears streaming down her face, staring at Merlin.

 

“It's your own fault girl! If you had only stayed put, this wouldn't have happened!” the man spat at her. His eyes were wild as he looked at her and pulled the knife out of Merlin’s chest.

 

Merlin’s breath was harsh and choked. His gaze unfocused.

 

Cyra watched him and screamed loudly as she saw what her so called father had done to Merlin. Her scream got louder and louder, her tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. Glass broke somewhere in the tavern, the people desperately pressing their hands to their ears, trying to keep the noise out.

 

Cyra’s gaze focused in on her father and she let all her anger at him run loose in her veins.

 

The man’s arms got twisted behind his back by nothing but the force of her will. He yelled out in pain as the force of it dislocated one of his shoulders. He was pushed to the floor where he was held down by the invisible force.

 

In that exact moment, Gwaine burst into the tavern to witness Cyra sink to her knees in despair. The people around her moved to hold down the crazy man while Gwaine ran to Cyra’s side, asking what was going on.

 

He let his gaze wander over the man for a moment, seeing him getting restrained by a couple burly men, and instantly recognized him from before. He looked a bit different, but it was most definitely the same man that had scared Cyra the day they had been out for a ride.

 

Then he saw Merlin. Bound. Beaten. Bleeding.

 

The barkeep was kneeling at his side, pressing against a wound in his chest.

 

Gwaine felt his blood run cold at the panicked eyes of the barkeep. That could not be good at all.

 

Cyra shook herself from her sorrow and made it to her feet before she stumbled over to Merlin’s side.

 

Gwaine pulled himself out of his shock to move over to him as well, taking over for the barkeep, yelling at him to get help.

 

“Daddy…” Cyra sobbed and clutched onto Merlin’s tunic.

 

Gwaine let his magic flow through him. He had never been much of a magical creature. His talents were better suited for other things, but he gave it his all. If he could do anything to help his friend, he would.

 

Cyra let her head rest against Merlin’s chest, her hands moving over, accidentally touching Gwaine’s hands as he firmly pressed them against Merlin’s wound.

 

At least it was more to the right side of Merlin’s upper chest area. It was bad. Really bad. But at least it wasn't his heart.

 

Gwaine had to think positive. He just had to. And focus. Focus very hard. It was almost as if he found more power within himself as he focused hard.

 

Then he realized it was coming from Cyra.

 

His eyes snapped to where her fingers were brushing against his.

 

“Cyra, help me stop the bleeding, “ he found himself saying. “put your hands on top of mine” he added when she looked up at him.

 

She did so unquestioningly.

 

The magic coming from her was pure and sort of familiar in its composition. It easily flowed together with his own magic and poured into Merlin’s wound.

 

Gwaine just hoped it was enough for Merlin to survive long enough to get proper help.

 

The screaming from the other man was annoying to say the least. He was yelling nonsense and profanities and didn’t ever shut up.

 

Gwaine looked over at him, noticing his struggle to free himself from the men holding him down. The man looked completely insane. Whatever weak disguise he had been wearing was falling away to reveal the red hair and the white skin underneath. Gwaine felt nothing but disgust for the man.

 

“Someone make him shut up,” he ordered. The serving maid didn’t hesitate for a moment as she pulled out one of her dirty wash rags and stuffed it in the man’s mouth. She sent Gwaine a smirk and he shuddered as he remembered the one time he had managed to piss her off enough to get that dreaded rag stuffed in his own mouth.

 

Gwaine felt his face grow hot and turned to focus on Merlin again. The blood that had been seeping out seemed to have finally stopped. He looked at his friend’s face to find he looked pale as a sheet. Merlin’s eyes were closed, and his breathing was erratic. He wasn’t out of danger yet.

 

The barkeep came rushing back through the door with Percival, Lancelot, Gaius and Arthur in tow. Arthur looked mad with worry, and was fast to zero in on Merlin. His blood drained from his face at the sight and he ran over and slid to his knees by their side.

 

“What happened?!” Arthur touched Merlin’s face and looked up at Gwaine for an answer.

 

“That man hurt him,” Cyra was the one to reply, pointing at the man with a rag stuffed in his mouth. “He’s my real father,” she added, looking sick at the thought.

 

Arthur stared at the man for a long time before looking back at Cyra.

 

“No. He’s not. You’re our daughter. We’re your new real fathers,” Arthur said with determination in his voice.

 

“That might be, Sire, but Merlin desperately needs medical attention right now so I urge you to move,” Gaius interrupted and pushed slightly at Arthur to get to Merlin.

 

The old man made Gwaine and Cyra move away as well, and had Lancelot join him on the other side of the Merman King.

 

Lancelot noticed Merlin’s hands were bound, and carefully cut the rope to make him more comfortable. Gaius asked for fresh water and a bed to put the patient in so he could more easily tend to him.

 

The patrons of the tavern more than willingly helped with whatever the physician asked. They all owed him a great deal for treating them for free after all.

 

Soon Merlin was placed in a bed someone had carried downstairs from one of the rooms upstairs. Gaius was cleaning away blood from the wound, preparing to use his magic to search for inner damage.

 

He feared the lung to have been damaged. It didn’t look like it was the main artery as there wasn’t enough blood for that. If it had been, then there wouldn’t be more for him to do as Merlin would have already been dead.

 

Gaius let his magic flow in through the wound on Merlin’s chest. He closed his eyes, concentrating on feeling and seeing whatever his magic showed him. There was indeed a nick on the lung, but to his surprise it was already more or less healed up. He let his magic flow into the slice to heal the rest of it properly.

 

In the end, it turned out that his magic had been enough to finish healing Merlin. At least as far as he could. Head wounds were tricky things that needed more time than magic. He could only hope time would do his nephew good.

 

Percival stepped forth to pick Merlin up in his arms and carry him back to the castle. The other knights took care of the attacker, bringing the man to the dungeons.

 

The tavern was cleaned up, and then closed for the rest of the night in respect for their Kings and as a way for the owner and the serving maid to gather themselves. It wasn’t every day one of their beloved Kings were stabbed in their tavern after all.

  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  


Merlin felt incredibly heavy upon waking up. His eyes didn’t want to open to begin with, but his consciousness had returned to him, so he knew he would have to open them eventually. Even though he really just wanted to go back to sleep.

 

And then the aches hit.

 

He groaned as every muscle in his body screamed at him.

 

“Daddy?”

 

Was that Cyra? He tried opening his eyes but found it a very difficult task. He blinked, trying to get his eyes used to being open.

 

“Papa! Daddy is waking up!” Cyra’s voice rang out again.

 

“Merlin?” That was definitely Arthur. Merlin felt the mattress underneath him dip with Arthur’s weight and soon felt a hand on his cheek.

 

He finally managed to keep his eyes open enough to adjust them to the light. He found Cyra leaning over him on one side, and Arthur doing the same on the other.

 

Despite the aches in his body, he found himself smiling at them.

 

“Hey…” Merlin’s voice was rough from disuse, and he found himself wondering how long he’d been asleep.

 

“Welcome back,” Arthur smiled before the expression fell away to something like anger. “Don’t ever do that again. You’re killing me with all this almost dying stuff,” he added before he took hold of Merlin’s hand and lifted it up to kiss it.

 

“Says you,” Merlin rebutted with an unamused expression. He cleared his throat after and soon found a cup of water offered to him by Cyra. Merlin took the cup with a grateful smile and swallowed down all of its contents.

 

“Are you alright sweetheart?” he asked and lifted his other hand to brush hair out of her face. She wrapped her arms around his arm and hugged it close so he couldn’t take his hand away from the side of her head.

 

She looked at him and nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes but her smile stayed put.

 

Merlin managed to free his arms and spread them out in an open invitation for them to join him in a hug, which both of them did with no hesitation. Merlin groaned at the sudden shift on the bed and the heaviness of his beloved family, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He kissed Cyra’s forehead and ran his fingers through her hair while he moved his hand over Arthur’s back. As much as he could with his arm pinned under Arthur’s side, that is.

  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  


“Do you mind filling me in on what happened after I threw myself down the stairs?” Merlin asked a while later with a dozing Cyra nuzzled to his side. Arthur was playing with the new scar on Merlin’s chest, but stopped at the question from his beloved.

 

“Cyra ran out to find Gwaine. He barely managed to see where she was running after she had called his name. Her… biological father was apprehended and Gwaine started the first magical work on you with Cyra’s help. Gaius took over immediately when he got there,” Arthur explained.

 

Merlin had been out for three days after his attack. During those two days, Arthur had finally found the reason for why Cyra had been living on the streets when he and Merlin found her.

 

The man had been fed a truth serum and despite his fight to the contrary, had finally spilled the beans.

 

Cyra was indeed his child. Though he hadn’t known of his daughter before she had turned two. A woman he had thought of as human tracked him down and presented Cyra to him. He remembered her from a night of fun he’d had in the past. The woman had contracted a deadly illness and would not live much longer and had begged him to take care of the child who had taken more to the human genes than her own. He had watched in disgust as the woman had shown her true form right before she died. He had originally planned on leaving the child by the dead mermaid, but had decided that he could use her for his own gain.

 

It turned out he had used her in his scams and had been in the middle of quite a big one when she had turned against him and revealed his plans for the victims and gotten him caught. She had then used the chaos that ensued to escape and had lived on the streets since.

 

The man had been planning to get her back once he had seen her out with Gwaine that one day. Though it was only to get his revenge on her for getting him in trouble. His master plan had been to sell her off to slavers to get a good lump of cash for her until he’d learned she had been taken in by the royal family. He had then planned for a ransom, or whatever would give him the most money.

 

Arthur had barely kept his cool and had to throw Gwaine out of the interrogation room after he had jumped at the man and decked him square in the face.

 

When Arthur had read out the sentence of a lifetime in prison for fraud and attempted murder on one of Camelot’s Kings, the man had gaped at him and asked dumbly about the Kings part. When he was told that Merlin was indeed one of two Kings in Camelot, he had gone into shock before his anger had resurfaced. He spat at the floor before King Arthur and yelled out how the system was corrupt and how he was unfairly treated.

 

Arthur had turned to the witnesses of the trial and had been met with support for his decision, though some of them had wanted for the man to be sentenced to death.

 

Arthur on the other hand had remembered Merlin in that moment and knew he wouldn’t want the death sentence on the man even though he had attempted to take their child away in addition to the attempted murder. The man might be a horrible father, but he was still a person.

 

Arthur and Merlin would officially be announced Cyra’s fathers by the end of the week as the man in the dungeons didn’t want anything to do with her.

 

Merlin felt relief flow through him at the last piece of information. The fact that Cyra would officially be theirs was incredible. But it was sort of bittersweet. He wished she had never had to go through that much horrible stuff in her childhood. He wanted her to be happy. To live a happy life. She might not have had much of that before, but he was determined to make sure she got it from now on.

 

Merlin pulled the sleeping girl closer and nuzzled into her hair.

 

“Let’s make sure she gets a wonderful life,” he whispered to Arthur as he held her close.

 

“Yeah… We might wanna stop with the dramatic injuries to make that happen,” Arthur said with a light chuckle. Merlin just pushed at Arthur’s face with a flat hand but couldn’t keep from laughing himself.

 

“I guess that’s a good idea,” Merlin smiled and pulled Arthur closer. Arthur cuddled up to his husband and made himself comfortable. They were going to make this work.

  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  


Months passed, and Cyra became more and more comfortable living with them in Camelot. She was more sure of her life with them, and had started learning to get her magic under control. The first time Arthur had explained to Merlin that Cyra was half mermaid, he hadn’t really caught onto it. At some point later, he had a sudden realization of what Arthur had been telling him and he had turned to his husband with wide eyes asking him to confirm.

 

Merlin had then spent the next few days trying to figure out how in the world he, a merman, had managed to miss out on that fact. Until one day he finally decided that it didn’t really matter. The important thing was that now he knew, and now he could help her understand herself.

 

Merlin often brought her down into the cavern where he showed her different ways to swim and tried to help her with the transformation magic to see if she could transform at all. In the end she had not transformed completely, but had gotten a sort of mix of human and merperson. Her legs grew fins and changed shape somewhat to make it easier to swim. Scales formed on her body in reds, oranges and yellows, making up a nice pattern with the colors of a sunset.

  


Merlin called her his little sunshine after that.

 

Arthur had been watching her progress fondly, pride welling up in his chest every time she had accomplished new things.

 

The little sad girl they had picked up from the streets had blossomed into a wonderful personality, full of laughter and smiles. The little princess had become as dear to the citizens of Camelot as she was to the Kings.

 

Even the rest of the Emrys family who hadn’t been able to meet her for very long, had fallen completely for her. Mithian had been especially enthusiastic and had wanted to stay with them to play with the girl.

 

Camelot was finally the happy and safe place its citizens had longed for. It was a growing land with years of good fortune to come. Of course, like in any other place there was darkness hidden away in back alleys, but most of the time it was nothing to worry about. And if it was, it was usually dealt with before it could do too much damage.

 

The citizens were protective of their royal family. A family who treated them like people. Like every single one of them mattered. It may sound utopian perhaps. But such was the magic of love that had embraced the land. Even when the time should come for the two Kings to step back, their daughter would be just as good to the people. Her loving upbringing would ensure that.

 

**~~~The End~~~**


End file.
